Top of the Line Medical Schools

Written By: Madison Elliott

Considering that I will eventually have to apply and attend medical school, I was curious to know what the top ones are in the United States. I thought that maybe they would be different than what everybody knows are the best undergraduate colleges (mainly the ivy leagues!), but I was wrong, a lot of them are part of this list as well. In the article I found here, it lists the top medical schools in the country for more research based schooling. The ten schools that fall at the top of this list are Harvard University, Stanford University, Johns Hopkins University, University of California - San Francisco, University of Pennsylvania, Washington University, Columbia University, Duke University, Yale University, and New York University. Only three out of the eight Ivy League schools are on this list which may come as a surprise to some, but most of the other five fall shorter below these ten schools.

A lot of people don’t know what makes a top medical school actually a top school, the name of the school is just well known for being a “good” school. Don’t worry, I am also in this same boat, so I am here to tell you why! I decided to look into the number one medical research school, which is Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, to understand why it is known as being such a prestigious school. To start off, their acceptance rate is a whopping 3.7%, which is fairly low. Whether the reason being for this is the large number people that apply here, about 6,113 to be exact, or whether it be that they are just that picky about the graduate students that they accept, that is a hard percentage to beat. On top of that, to really even be considered an option for acceptance into HMS, you must have outstanding MCAT scores. Harvard’s average score for this standardized medical test is about 37 out 45 points. This is one of the highest averages for this quite challenging test in the United States. These are just a couple of the reasons that Harvard Medical School is known for being so top notch. I can’t even imagine what the course load is like once you get to the inside of HMS.

Sources:

• http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-medical-schools/research-rankings?int=af3309&int=b3b50a&int=b14409
• http://medical-schools.startclass.com/l/24/Harvard-Medical-School

Gender Differences in the Medical World

Written by: Madison Elliott

As most people know, there is often an under representation of women in many job fields that are deemed “masculine” such as engineering, math, and science based jobs. This week I have found an interesting article that discussed this gender stereotype in the medical field, and how women in the field have not advanced as well as the men in the field have and the inequality between the two genders that comes with this.

First off, I think that women are mistreated from the beginning in most fields. It is seen in things like unequal pay between men and women and also in the gender that holds a majority of authoritative positions in most fields, which is men as well. Even when narrowed down to specific different fields, there is still a difference in genders, and there is no difference in the medical field. I would say that one of the most known stereotypes in this field is that women are thought of as nurses and men are thought of as doctors. Often people will make that assumption and mistake a woman who is a doctor as the nurse and vice versa. This just shows that men are usually just assumed to have the higher standing position in the workplace.

Many times there are occurrences when a woman physician’s, not a nurse, opinion is even discredited or not even taken into account. Even when women have a leadership role in the field, in medical or all others, they are treated as if they are less.

Sources:

https://sites.psu.edu/leadership/2012/12/02/gender-stereotypes-in-healthcare/

Wage Gap between Male and Female Nurses

Written By: Hyaal Wehab

  This week, I decided to look into wages of Nurses, and it led me to the issue of pay inequality between men and women. Recently, research has shown that the wage gap between male and female nurses continues to grow as time continues on. Studies specifically show that men make about $5,000 to $10,000 more than women annually, which leads to higher financial struggles for women rather than men, due to the fact that nursing is one of the largest, female dominant occupations in health care.

  Inequality in wages is not a new issue brought up in our society. In fact, it has been around for multiple years, and no matter how many laws or movements are issued, this issue of uneven pay continues to grow. It is surprising that an inequality in pay is an issue in nursing especially since it is currently the most female dominant field. Multiple theories have emerged from this issue; Are men simply better at negotiating promotions and raises? Do men receive higher pay because they are less likely to take off time to take care of their families and young ones? Questions like these require further analysis, but as of right now it seems as if these would be the reasoning behind the unequal pay between male and female nurses, because the gap in pay is not by coincidence, nor is it random.

  After reading this article, my main question is, why is there a wage gap? Nursing is a female dominant occupation compared to the percentage of males in the work force, but even if this is the case, what is the point of having an unequal pay rate? Whether male or female, every nurse is doing the same job and serving their community in the exact same way. It is understandable if an occupation of higher degree receives higher pay, but if they are in the same exact field, equal pay should be mandatory for all employees whether they are a man or a woman. Along with this, my next question is, how can this be fixed? Though this is a large issue brought up in this field, it seems that there is no set way of resolving this issue. Next week I will look further into the issue on the wage gap and the male to female ratio of nurses.

Article 1

Article 2

Exploring communication, prompt 3.

By Laura Villarreal

    

This week I got to interview Dr. Rawn Bosley. He is a dermatologist in Okemos for Doctor’s Approach Dermatology. I got the pleasure of hearing him talk about his career and how he got to where he is now. I learned about his journey from college to his medical school to his residency and now to practicing medicine. He was very nice and was more than willing to answer the questions had for him both throughout his lecture and afterwards.

I first asked him about how he writes about his field. He told me he has written articles about health issues in different magazines. This impressed me because one of my own misconceptions of doctors was that  they did not do too much writing after schooling. I then asked him if there was any misconceptions he has noticed that people have about his field or medicine in general. His response was very interesting to me. He told me that he comes across many people who believe that after people become doctors they are the ones who call all of the shots. That the doctors have the absolute final say in all things medicine. In reality, there is a medical hierarchy of authority. The person who is at top is the one who makes all of the final decisions for what the people in his or her practice or hospital do. My final question asked him how he dispels these misconceptions. His response was that he just talks to them. Much like he talked to me and the other students that came to hear him speak. He talks to them on a person-to-person level to really make them understand why he has to do the things he does.

It was really a pleasure to meet Dr. Bosley. I wish i would have had more time to ask him more in depth questions. I learned many new things from him about my chosen field. I also learned that the most efficient way to communicate in this field is to talk to just someone. Not on a doctor to patient level, because that’s intimidating, but on a person-to-person level, because it is easier to get your point across.  I look forward to going to one of his talks again sometime in the future.

Does Doctor = Success?

Written by Alex Reddy

As a society that praises the successful, we often hear it a lot, “Oh he's a doctor? How nice!” It’s natural for people to be drawn to a successful partner, and it just so happens that in todays era most people are drawn to monetary success. In our current day and age doctors are widely known as the most successful among us all. Many students go through countless hours of schooling and put their best foot forward in order to achieve this title of success. However, aside from the majority of people who believe that money is almost equivalent to success, there are also some don't link success with money. Therefore, if money didn't rank our success, would doctors still be considered successful?

In this Blog I’d like to discuss a few key arguments against the notion that doctors are successful; However, I’d like to follow up my arguments with key reasons why doctors are successful in all ways. This way, as the reader, you can decided whether you believe that doctors are successful or not.

About 18,000 students graduate per year in the United States with a degree in the professional medical field (Association of American Medical Colleges). This number is only a fraction of the original students who began a medical program. Many believe that so many students are unable to follow through with their career goals because they must lack of true devotion to the field, and it’s true. A large portion of these students drop out from the lack of interest in the field they pursue. It’s also true that many students have a goal to become a doctor not because they have a lifelong wish to help people, but more because they have a lifelong wish to get rich. Now this statement alone could cause one to argue, “if it weren't for the money, doctors wouldn't be successful.” However, you'd be happy to know, almost all of these students driven strictly by monetary success drop out of the medical program.

Fortunately, the route to graduate with a doctorate diploma is so rigorous and challenging, only the most passionate students graduate to become a doctor. Therefore, although some people may claim, “Their only in it for the money,” its more likely the doctor genuinely enjoys his/her job. To get through what seems like endless years of schooling, one must be very dedicated and passionate to the position in mind. Along with the rigorous schooling, many of us would agree it would be very difficult to hold all the responsibilities of a doctor without genuinely enjoying it. Overall, it seems to me that majority of the doctors in the medical field hold their position not for the monetary benefits, but because being a doctor is something they have worked for and dreamed about almost all their life. Achieving a long term goal after many years of passionate hard work, this to me sounds a lot like success.

What’s your opinion on doctors? Do you believe most people who become doctors are strictly in it for the money? Or do you believe most doctors have a genuine interest and passion for what they do? Leave your comments below!

Sources:

"Table B-2: Total Graduates by U.S. Medical School, Sex, and Year." Enrollment, Graduates, and MD/PhD Data. Association of American Medical Colleges, n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 201

Considering Delivery and Style: Shortage of Nurses in the United States

Written by: Hyaal Wehab

  This week, I read two articles regarding the shortage of Nurses in the United States. One of them was an article off of The Atlantic, and the second article was a scholarly article I found through Michigan State University’s library database. Both discuss the scarcity of nurses in the US, but what I hoped to find out was which one is more logical? Which one is based on opinions and which one is based on facts? If both are based on facts, which article or author should an audience trust more?

   The first article I chose to read is called, “The U.S. is running out of Nurses” off of The Atlantic. At the beginning of this article, the author began with a story of her mother being rushed to the hospital, and through their frightful journey, the nurses employed at that hospital were the main support system provided, and without them, they would not have felt so assured; they would have fallen apart without the support from the nurses. It is reasons like these that it is so alarming that the population of Nurses in the United States is dropping low. Although Nursing is the largest standing and growing occupation in the Unites States, the demand for nurses continues to grow, leaving a shortage of nurses provided. As the population of elders, and numbers of chronic diseases found in elders continues to grow, the demand for medical staff will continue to rise. While this is the perfect drive for open opportunities for students currently in Nursing school, the supply of nurses currently available still continues to decrease due to the fact that, nurses are beginning to age as well. About one million nurses in the United States are over the age of 50. Decline in Nurses is also due to the insufficient amount of students admitted to Nursing School due to limited classroom space, or very few educators available.

   The second article I read is called, “Importing Nurses: Combating the Nursing Shortage in America”, by Ashish Chandra and William K Willis. In this article, it not only adresses the issue of the shortage of nurses, but how the United States hopes to take an approach to fix this issue. Many countries, but especially the United States, would like to begin recruiting foreign educated nurses (FEN’s), but this method drags along multiple hardships. This article also claims that shortages of nurses also comes from the limited capacity in nursing schools, and very few educators at universities, as well as the fact that majority of the population of nurses in the United States are aging together. Many countries turn to recruiting FEN’s because many foreign nurses dream of working in a country like the United States, so it is like a win- win situation for both foreigners and United States medical services. Though it is a win-win situation, there are multiple obstacles an FEN must face. The firs one is acquiring a work visa in order to even hold an occupation in the US. Their second obstacle is passing the RN licensing exam to ensure that they have the proper training to practice nursing in the US. This exam covers topics such as a homeland licensure exam review, and an english proficiency review and so on. FEN’s also face discrimination and racism among their employers or colleagues, so the have multiple things they must look out for. Basically the use of FEN’s may be a good choice, but it also has a negative side to look out for.

   After reading both articles, it is clear that they are both informative articles, looking to inform their audiences about the issue of the decline of nurses in the US. Though both articles provide facts about the decline of nurses in the US, the second article that I read evaluated further and gave an explanation on how the United States plans to take action. The first article drew in an audience by beginning with a personal story which immediately made the audience feel alarmed and recognize the importance that nurses bring to health facilities, while the second article was simply informational and did not relate to any personal experiences. Though the first article pulled in its readers with a personal story, the second article was written by two University professors in the medical field, so they provided more facts from their own personal knowledge. I personally believe that the second article could be more trusted due to not only that it is information provided by two individuals in the particular field, but finding information through a library database could be much more accurate or trustworthy than any article found on the internet.

Article 1: The Atlantic

Article 2: Scholarly Article

Are you ready to be a doctor?

By Laura Villarreal

  When people think about becoming a doctor, they think about the time, money, and schooling needed to become one. They may also think about the potential income they could have. The input of effort determines the amount of output someone will receive. Becoming a doctor requires a lot of hard work and dedication.

  First off, the path of becoming a doctor starts with high school. In high school, you should start with the basic science classes, biology, chemistry, and physics. These classes are important for learning the concepts of the classes you will take later in life. Extracurricular activities and other classes like foreign languages are important to take also. Good colleges not only look for a good grade point average (GPA) but also a rigorous course load and a well-balanced schedule. In high school, you should be focused on the requirements of the college you are aiming for. The better you do in harder classes, the better chance you have of getting into the college of your choice.

 Then, once you get into the college of your choice, you need to follow the “pre-med” track right away. This includes many years of chemistry, biology, math, and physics. You will spend about $40,000-$160,000 for college tuition. My current schedule of my first semester of my freshman year of college is pre-calculus, chemistry 1, a writing class, and a seminar class. Next semester I will be in calculus 1, chemistry 2, chemistry lab 1, intro to psychology, and an integrated social studies class. As the years increase, my class load and difficulty will also. In college, you should be focused on your GPA. Also, you should be joining medical related groups and doing volunteer work at hospitals. The goal after college is to get into medical school. Just like in high school, knowing the requirements of the medical school you want to go to will help you guide your pathway through college. College is also the time to really absorb the subjects being taught. You will need to know everything you learned in college to make it in the real world as a doctor. At michigan state, they recommend at least two hours of studying for every hour you are in class. This is a minimum recommendation. College is not easy. Working hard in college will get you into a good medical school.

After college comes medical school. Medical school is normally four years. You will spend about $120,000-$200,000 in a four year medical school.  In the first two years, the basic science classes are taught. This gives you the real in-depth knowledge and learning of the subject. The next two years are spent learning the clinical sciences. This is where you get the opportunity to really learn how your actual career will be. In the third or fourth year, you will specialize into the specific pathway you want your medical career to go. Med school is the time to fully embrace yourself in your future. This is almost the end of your pathway. After this you are officially a doctor.

  Finally, it is time for your residency.  A residency will be the absolute hardest test of your pathway. In a residency is real world training. You will work 60-100 hours a week treating sick patients for three years. This is also the time where you will make back what you spent in schooling.  You will make about $45,000-$55,000 per year in your residency. After your residency, you are ready to start practicing medicine.

  All in all, becoming a doctor is a lot of hard work. It costs a lot of money and takes a lot of time. In my opinion, the ultimate reward will be when I help my first patient. I think you have to be extremely committed follow through all 11 years of this pathway. I believe I am ready, are you?

all information found on:

http://www.yourpediatrician.com/BecomingAPed.htm